Fallout 76has a bright future ahead of itself, with countless more content updates in store before ongoing support for the game eventually comes to an end. However, despite having a golden opportunity to experiment with new content inspired by theFalloutshow,Fallout 76seems committed to telling its own stories instead.
AlthoughFallout 76takes place over 100 years before theFalloutshow on theFalloutfranchise’s cannon timeline,Fallout 76still arguably has the opportunity to explore some of the locations briefly introduced in theFalloutshow.This wouldn’t be the first timeFallout 76visited a location featured later in the franchise’s timeline, and given how much theFalloutshow has contributed to the overall franchise’s success, this could be a golden opportunity forFallout 76’s future content updates. Overall, there’s plenty of room to introduce new content inspired by the show without causing any retcons, soFallout 76should reconsider its stance on theFalloutshow.
Fallout 76 Should Reconsider Its Stance on Fallout Show-Inspired Content
DuringFallout 76’s panel at QuakeCon 2024, when asked whether theFalloutshow influenced any changes toFallout 76’s future plans,Fallout 76’s creative director Jon Rush responded that the opposite was true, that the show only reinforced the development team to stay committed to their existing plans. “If anything, I’d say, the show really emboldened us to continue what we’re doing.”Fallout 76already has several cosmetic items inspired by theFalloutshow, and it seems that cosmetic items might ultimately be the only direct connection between these two entries in the franchise besides the shared overarching universe.
WhileFallout 76is adding a playable Ghoul characterin March 2025, the connection between this feature and theFalloutshow’s prominent Ghoul character is allegedly a coincidence. According to aninterview with PCGamesN,Fallout 76’s developers were considering experimenting with this feature long before the development team was aware of theFalloutshow’s Ghoul character.
It’s no coincidence thatFallout 76reached record-high player numbersshortly after the premiere of theFalloutshow’s first season, with several other games in the franchise enjoying a surge in player counts during this period. Given how big of a contribution theFalloutshow’s debut was to the success of the overall franchise,Fallout 76might be wise to reconsider and experiment with content inspired by the show, especially sinceFallout 76may already have the perfect opportunity to do so.
How Fallout 76’s Future Updates Can Build Upon the Fallout Show’s Lore
A map displayed in a Vault-Tec boardroom during one of the pre-war scenes of theFalloutshow reveals the location of every Vault in North America, notably including severalVaults thatFalloutgames haven’t explored yet. Given that the main story ofFallout 76tasks the dwellers of Vault 76 with rebuilding America after the inevitable nuclear apocalypse, this is the perfect excuse to visit some of these unexplored Vaults to recruit and aid any survivors.
Some of these unexplored Vaults may be far off fromFallout 76’s West Virginia Wasteland, but this hasn’t stoppedFallout 76from exploring distant locations before, especially locations featured in other games in the franchise set afterFallout 76. WithFallout 76’s Expeditions activity, players can fly to distant settlements via Vertibird, enabling players to visit the Pitt which would later be the location of The Pitt DLC fromFallout 3. Similarly, these unexplored Vaults from theFalloutshow could make for the perfectlocations for new Expeditions inFallout 76, considering that the Pitt Expedition has already laid the groundwork forFallout 76to continue to explore distant locales throughout the franchise.
